Industrial production

Retail remains a rare source of strength in the economy while manufacturing struggles

Old Dominion reported continued LTL volume weakness in July. Near-term volume relief may be hard to come by as domestic and global macroeconomic trends remain tepid.

Economic data from the goods side of the economy continued to trend in a positive direction in June, as both retail sales and industrial production posted solid gains.

The economic roundup summarizes recent developments in the macroeconomy as they relate to freight demand, and highlights key trends worth watching in the upcoming month.

Retail and industrial activity improved, providing some stability for freight Economic data from the goods side of the economy showed some signs of life in May, as growth in retail sales and industrial production exceeded expectations during the month. This is an encouraging sign that activity may be stabilizing in the second quarter, though details […]

FreightWaves is providing a forum – Market Voices – for a number of market experts.  Last week I wrote about why the ongoing decline in lumber shipments and the ongoing decline in housing starts should be a growing concern, and that continued contraction in this industry had several significant waves of secondary and tertiary economic […]

Economic data from the goods side of the economy continued to underperform in April, as both retail sales and industrial production unexpectedly declined during the month

The Economic Roundup is designed to synthesize the events of the past month as they relate to freight markets, and provide a guide on trends to keep an eye on in the upcoming month.

Donald Broughton, FreightWaves’ chief market strategist, helps explain the U.S. economy in a multi-part series. This article focuses on the industrial economy of the U.S., which is critical to the overall health of the nation.

Industrial output in the economy continued to struggle in March, as a stalled manufacturing sector continues to weigh on freight demand in the economy.

The monthly economic roundup summarizes key developments in the macroeconomy over the past month and highlights trends worth watching headed into April.

Industrial production rose by a paltry 0.1% in February, restrained by a second consecutive decline in manufacturing activity

Industrial production rose at a solid pace to round out 2018, helped by a jump in manufacturing activity during the month. The gain in output in December rounded out the strongest year for the industrial sector since 2010, and eased fears after a string of negative releases from manufacturing.

Recent results show that retail activity continued to expand in November, in a sign that one of the key components of freight demand remains healthy at the end of the year. Results from the manufacturing sector were far less encouraging however, as activity stalled during the month.

Industrial output rose for the fifth consecutive month in October, with strength in the manufacturing sector outweighing softening activity in mining production. Hurricane season again disrupted activity, with Hurricane Michael restraining total production slightly during the month.

Overall truckload volumes and spot rates are soft, but a huge wave of containers hit the West Coast in September, retail demand is strong, and additions to the national fleet of drivers have been marginal.

Industrial output continued to push ahead in September, signaling that one of the key drivers of freight demand remained solid at the end of the 3rd quarter. Production was restrained slightly by the impact from Hurricane Florence, but not enough to prevent growth in the sector from reaching a near 8-year high.

A pair of releases this morning show that retail spending and industrial output expanded in August, signaling that some key components of freight demand continue to grow at a healthy pace in the 3rd quarter.

The economic roundup is a monthly summary of the various factors that affect freight demand and supply in the economy. Data releases in August showed an economic that was performing generally well, but softness in housing and trade are likely to impact freight demand.

A pair of releases this morning show that retail spending and manufacturing output continued to advance in July, signaling that some key components of freight demand remain on solid footing in the 3rd quarter.